1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to output control technology for outputting image data recorded in storage media.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as personal computers and image input apparatuses such as digital cameras have come into wider use, individuals have become able to freely handle high-definition digital image data. These image data are recorded in predetermined information storage media in various image file formats, such as the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) which is the international standard for compressing still images, the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) which is the international standard for compressing color motion video, the PICTure (PICT) which is a graphics data file format, and the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) which is a graphics data file format. The image data are generally output by printers owned by individuals. The printers owned by individuals are limited in performing high-quality and high-definition printing.
To meet the demands for high-quality and high-definition printing, services for outputting image data recorded in information storage media by high-performance and high-definition printers are provided at desktop publishing (DTP) shops, personal computer shops, photo studios, and convenience stores.
These service shops receive, from customers, information storage media such as SmartMedia (trademark of Toshiba Corporation), CompactFlash (trademark of SanDisk Corporation) memory, compact disk-recordable (CD-R), floppy disks, and the like in which images are stored. The image data in the information storage media are read by a personal computer or the like, and subsequently the read image data are output by a high-resolution color printer, a dye-sublimation printer, or the like.
When accepting services for printing image data stored in the foregoing information storage media, it is necessary to designate which image data among those recorded in the information storage media should be output. Therefore, a customer who is going to accept printing services is required to inform an image printing service staff of a desired image from among image data recorded in an information storage medium using an application form such as a request memo in which the identification number and a name associated with each image are indicated.
The image printing service staff selects the user's desired image from among the image data recorded in the information storage medium based on the identification number and the name of the image designated in the application form such as the request memo received from the customer.
In general, computer systems for performing the foregoing printing services require complicated operations. It is in practice not easy for an ordinary shop staff who is not a computer engineer to select an image designated by a customer by manually operating the computer system and to execute printing. Since it is necessary to select and extract desired images from among image data recorded in an information storage medium by manually operating the computer system, actual printing is disadvantageous in that it requires substantially a lot of labor and a long period of time.
In order to overcome such disadvantages, a printing system is proposed in which image data and JOB information required for outputting the image data are stored in an information storage medium. The printing system includes an information storage medium reader for reading image data and the content of a print job from the information storage medium. The printing system automatically performs printing in accordance with the print job read from the information storage medium.
Various types of images may be mixed and stored in an information storage medium. For example, black-and-white images, color images, low-resolution images, high-resolution images, and the like may be stored in an information storage medium. In such a case, a shop staff under most circumstances separately selects the most appropriate printer in accordance with an image and outputs data to the most appropriate printer since the outputting of a black-and-white image by a color printer and the outputting of low-resolution image data by a high-definition printer cause deterioration in the quality of images and incur unnecessary cost.
When the shop staff individually selects and designates a printer to which each image is output, the outputting of images require labor and time.
For example, when performing the double-sided outputting, the index-printing of arbitrary images, and the enlarging and outputting of an image onto a plurality of sheets of paper so as to make a poster, the demands are beyond simple image outputting. In such cases, the shop staff is required to be substantially skilled, and it requires a long period of time to perform output operations. For these reasons, disadvantages are caused for users in the areas of cost and time.